Liquid detergent dispensing shower fixture



May 1, 1956 E. G. GUNDLACH 2,743 9l3 LIQUID DETERGENT DISPENSING SHOWER FIXTURE Filed March 24. 1955 INVENTOR.

} AT TOP/KEYS United States Patcnto LIQUID DETERGENT DISPENSING SHOWER FIXTURE Emanuel G. Gundlach, Ebenezer, N. Y.

Application March 24, 1953, Serial No. 344,376

1 Claim. (Cl. 261-18) This invention relates to a liquid detergent dispensing shower fixture and more particularly to such a fixture for producing a cleansing foam by the mixture of water, air and a liquid detergent for bathing purposes and it has the object to produce a device of this character which is extremely simple and inexpensive in construction and capable of beingeasily installed in connection with the standard plumbing now in use and which can be readily rendered operative and inoperative for the purpose of either producing a cleansing foam or to discontinue the formation of such foam and merely use plain water for rinsing purposes.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a vertical section of a shower bathing apparatus embodying this invention and showing in full lines the container adapted to hold a liquid detergent in its elevated operative position, the lowered inoperative position of the container being shown in dot-dash lines.

Fig. 2 is a similar fragmentary view showing a modified form of the invention shown in Fig. 1.

In the following description similar characters of reference indicate like parts in the several figures of the drawings.

In general this apparatus comprises a shower head for supplying water for bathing purpose, and means whereby either a liquid foam producing detergent may be supplied at will to the stream of water, or whereby clear water or a mixture of water and a cleansing detergent may be supplied to the bather.

Referring to Fig. 1, the numeral represents a water supply pipe which in this instance is arranged vertically and adapted to be connected at its upper end with a valved water supply maintained under the usual pressure. The lower end of the water supply pipe 10 is shown as being externally threaded and on this externally threaded end is screwed the threaded upper end 11 of a fitting indicated generally at 12. This fitting is shown as having a central internal cross wall 13 through which a relatively small coaxial bore 14 extends to project a jet of water into a mixing chamber 15 provided at the lower end of this fitting 12. The lower end of the fitting 12 is externally threaded, as indicated at 16.

Below the fitting 12 is arranged a spray head whereby either tap water and a mixture of water, air and liquid detergent can be delivered for bathing purposes. This spray head can be of any suitable construction that shown being constructed as follows:

The numeral 17 represents the shell or hollow body of a spray head which is provided at its upper end with an inlet neck 18 for the Water, with or without liquid deter gent, while its lower end is provided with a perforated head or plate 19 through which the water is delivered either in the form of a spray or in the form of foam for bathing purposes. The inlet neck of this spray head is connected with the lower or outlet end of the fitting 12 by means of a ball and socket joint whereby the water, with or without liquid detergent, is carried from the fitting 12 to the spray head. This ball and socket joint "ice permits the spray head to be adjusted into different angular positions as best suit the requirements of the bather. As shown in Fig. 1 this connection between the fitting 12 and the spray head is effected by means of a hollow ball 20 having a tubular neck 21 at its upper end which is connected by means of an internally threaded screw joint 22 with the lower externally threaded end 16 of the fitting 12, and a spherical socket whereby the spray head turns on this ball and which comprises a lower seat 23 formed on the neck of the spray head and engaging with the lower part of the ball 20 and a clamping nut 24 engaging with the exterior of the ball 20 above its center and connected by means of a screw joint 24 with the neck of the spray head 17.

The means whereby a liquid detergent may, at will, be added to the stream of water for producing a cleansing foam in accordance with this invention, are constructed as follows:

The numeral 25 represents a container having preferably the form of a bottle which is desirably made of plastic so as to be incapable of being shattered in any normal usage. This bottle is adapted to serve as a reservoir or tank for holding a supply of liquid detergent of a character which when mixed with water and air will produce a cleansing foam. This container is shown as having an end mouth or rim which is externally threaded, as indicated at 26, and which is normally closed by means of a screw cap 27 through the removal of which the bottle or container can be replenished with theliquid detergent.

This screw cap 27 is also preferably made of plastic and preferably is also formed to provide a laterally extending external hollow stem 28 which is externally threaded, as indicated at 29, at its end remote from the cap 27. The cap 27 is also preferably provided with a vent tube 30 which can be formed integrally with the cap and which extends to the end of the bottle or container 25 remote from its threaded open end 26.

The threaded end 29 of the stem 28 screws into a threaded opening 32 through the side of the fitting 12. This threaded opening 32 communicates with an air duct 33 the lower end of which is in communication with the mixing chamber 15 and the upper end of which'is in communication with the atmosphere.

In use the liquid detergent container 25 can be swung to either be elevated in full line position shown in Fig. l in which it is operative to deliver detergent to the water being discharged from the shower head 17 or it can be lowered to its inoperative position as shown by dot-dash lines in Fig. 1 in which position no detergent is delivered to the water delivered by the spray head 17 and also the container can be conveniently removed from the cap 27 for the purpose of refilling the same with liquid detergent.

When the bather desires a foamy water-detergent mixture to issue from the shower head 17, the bather seizes the container or bottle 25 and swings it from the dot-dash lower inoperative position shown in Fig. 1 to the full line operative position shown in this figure. In this movement the capped container pivots about the screw connection between the threaded end 29 of the stem 28 and the threaded opening 32 in the fitting 12. When this is done liquid de tergent in the bottle or container 25 flows by gravity through the neck or stem 23 and air duct 33 into the mixing chamber 15. Such flow of detergent is also induced by the suction or subatmospheric pressure created by the jet of water issuing from the central bore 14 of the fitting 12 into the mixing chamber 15, this jet also serving to draw air in through the air inlet duct 33. The air, detergent, and water, of course, mix in the mixing chamber 15, the water, air and liquid detergent becoming thoroughly mingled and agitated in this mixing chamber and being converted into a mass of cleansing foam or suds which is discharged through the perforated showerhead 17.

When the bather desires to rinse with clear water, he seizes the container 25 and swings it about the axis of its stem 28 from the full line to the dot-dash line position shown in Fig. 1. In such movement the threads 29 of the stem 28 pivot in the threaded opening 32 of the fitting 12. With the container 25 in this lowered position the inlet of the stem 28 is out of contact with the liquid detergent in the liquid container 25 and hence no detergent is drawn through this stem 28 into the mixing chamber 15 of the fitting 12. Accordingly the bather is supplied through the .shower ahead 17 with a spray of water which can be slightly aerated through air supplied through the air duct 33. After the rinsing is complete the bather turns off the customary water valve (not shown) and, with the con tainer 25 in its lowered position, no liquid detergent can leak from the container 25.

When the quantity of liquid detergent in the container 25 is exhausted, all that is necessary is to unscrew the container 25 from its cap 27, this being done when the container is in its lowered position shown by dot-dash lines in Fig. 1. The container 25 can then be refilled with liquid detergent following which the container can be rescrewed onto its cap 27. When this is done the apparatus is ready for operation as above described.

The modified form of the invention shown in Fig. 2, differs from the preferred form shown in Fig. 1 only in that the stem 28a, instead of being formed integrally with the cap 27, is shown as extended through an opening in the wall of the container 25:: in which opening this stem can be welded. This opening is near the threaded end 26a of the container so that the inlet end of the steam 28a is close to the screw cap 27a. This screw cap can be made of metal and the vent tube 3011 can be secured to vent through this cap in any suitable manner. The end of the stem 28a remote from the container 25:: is externally threaded, as indicated at 29a, and, as with the form of the invention shown in Fig. 1, screws into a threaded opening 32 in the side of the fitting 12.

It will be seen that the operation of the form of the invention shown in Fig. 2 is identically the same as with the form of the invention shown in Fig. l and hence this description is not repeated, the corresponding parts having been distinguished by the sufiix a.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the present invention provides a shower head with means for selectively mixing liquid detergent and air with the water so as to supply a detergent foam when desired and which can be manufactured and assembled at very low cost. Moreover all the parts are of sturdy construction which are not liable to get out of order and therefore will not require undue repair costs for maintaining the apparatus in serviceable condition.

I claim:

A liquid detergent dispensing device for use in conjunction with a shower fixture, comprising a fitting adapted to connect said shower fixture with a source of water under pressure and providing a mixing chamber, means arranged to discharge said water in the form of a jet into said mixing chamber to produce a subatmospheric pressure therein, an air inlet passage leading from said mixing chamber to the atmosphere and arranged to draw atmospheric air into said mixing chamber, said fitting also being provided in its side wall with a horizontally extending internally threaded opening extending from said air inlet passage to the exterior of said fitting, a liquid detergent container provided at one end with a laterally extending externally threaded hollow stem providing a passage leading from the outer end of said stem to the interior of said container, said externally threaded stern being screwed into said internally threaded opening whereby said container can be swung about the axis of said stem to an upright position to permit gravity flow of liquid detergent into said mixing chamber and to a pendent position in which such gravity flow is cut OE, and means for venting said container when in said upright position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,664,046 Rosenberg Mar. 27, 1928 2,103,957 Scott Dec. 28, 1937 2,527,848 Prack Oct. 31, 1950 2,540,064 Weber Jan. 30, 1951 2,562,415 Chase July 31, 1951 2,602,697 Otto July 8, 1952 2,609,232 Taulman Sept. 2, 1952 2,690,717 Goodrie Oct. 5, 1954 2,705,091 Marchand Mar. 29, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,000,443 France Oct. 10, 1951 

